3 plus 3: Undergraduate to Master's in Occupational Therapy

In light of the dramatic change in the health care system, a general lack of understanding and knowledge of occupational therapy, the OT Program at Idaho State University has instituted a change allowing early admission into the Masters of Occupational Therapy. This program model will allow a student to complete both the university and OT prerequisites in the first three undergraduate years, beginning the pre-professional OT program in the senior year and complete the OT Master’s Program over the next two years.

The combination of the BUS and Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) Program creates a seamless entry into the occupational therapy profession ensuring that all prerequisites in social, physical and biological sciences are completed in a timely manner. This will reduce the time in graduate school by one year (32 credits). We anticipate that this change may introduce occupational therapy to undergraduate students earlier in the career decision-making process. This model will not replace our current program of admitting students with a bachelor’s degree. We continue to expect the majority of students would still apply to the OT Masters Program after completing a bachelor’s degree.

This program change will allow students the option of early pre-professional entry into the program through the Bachelor of University Studies (BUS) degree. The BUS is an interdisciplinary degree designed for students whose career and educational goals are not met by traditional degrees offered at Idaho State University. During the first three years, the student develops a course of study that will meet the student’s interests, university degree requirements, and also fulfill the prerequisites requirements for admission into the Occupational Therapy Program. The student can apply to the BUS Program during the junior year and complete the pre-professional year for occupational therapy during the senior year. With successful completion of the pre-professional year in the OT Program, the student will receive a Bachelor of University Studies degree. The student will then apply to the MOT Program and complete it over the next two years.

Interested students may contact the Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy at 1-800-797-4781 or email at thomkel2@isu.edu

Idaho State University

Combined Bachelor of University Studies and Master of Occupational Therapy

Application Process

To begin the combined Bachelor of University Studies (BUS) degree and Master’s of Occupational Therapy (MOT), students must gain early pre-professional entry into the program through the Bachelor of University Studies (BUS) degree. The BUS is an interdisciplinary degree designed for students whose career and educational goals are not met by traditional degrees offered at Idaho State University. During the first three years, the student develops a course of study that will meet the student’s interests, fulfill university degree requirements, and the prerequisite requirements for admission into the MOT Program. The student can apply to the BUS Program during the sophomore or junior year and complete the pre-professional year for occupational therapy during the senior year. With successful completion of the pre-professional year in the MOT Program and the completion of the BUS degree requirements, the student will receive a BUS degree. The student will then apply to the MOT Program and complete it over the next two years.

In order to apply for admission to the Bachelor of University Studies degree, a student needs to satisfy the following criteria:

· A 2.5 cumulative grade point average, including transfer credits (Note: Entry into the Master’s of Occupational Therapy Program requires a 3.0 cumulative grade point in upper division coursework and 3.0 average in all prerequisite courses.)

· Completion of at least 24 semester hours

Application to the BUS Program includes:

· Initial meeting with the Director of the Bachelor of University Studies and Director of the OT Program

· Completion of the BUS application form

· Completion of the BUS application essay

· A proposed selection of courses covering university core requirements and OT prerequisite courses

· A proposed group of three faculty from each of the disciplines in the student’s proposed degree plan (Note: A faculty member from the MOT Program must be advising the student)

Application deadlines:

· First week of November for Spring admission

· First week of August for Fall admission

Admission to the BUS program:

The BUS Committee Chair, in consultation with Director of MOT Program and Chair of Pre-health Advising will review previous academic performance and application essay for approval.

Upon acceptance, the BUS Committee will assign a faculty advisory committee

Official admission will be for the following semester, after faculty advisory committee approves the established course schedule.

Graduation Requirements:

· Completion of at least 24 semester hours post-acceptance into the BUS Program

· Completion of General Education Requirements (see attachment)

· Completion of at least 36 upper division credits, 16 of which must be completed post-acceptance

· Completion of the BUS proposed plan of study

· Completion of the BUS Senior Essay. This essay may meet the requirements of the MOT Program admissions essay.

· A 2.5 cumulative GPA at the time of graduation (Note: Entry into the Master’s of Occupational Therapy Program requires a 3.0 cumulative grade point in upper division coursework average and 3.0 average in all prerequisite courses.)

· Satisfaction of university residence and credit requirements for undergraduate degrees (Refer to the ISU Catalog)

Students interested in the BUS degree should contact Tracy Montgomery, Director, Bachelor of University Studies, Administration Building, Room 102, ISU Box 8087, Pocatello, Idaho, 83209, (208) 282-3204 or diensher@isu.edu.

Prerequisite Course Work:

Completion of the following prerequisites with a GPA of 3.0 in each category.

Category	Course	Credits	ISU Courses
Social Behavioral Sciences	Human Development over the Life Span	3	PSYCH 225 Child Psychology PSYCH 344 Adult Development and Aging
	Sociology	3	SOC 101 SOC 301 SOC 321
	Abnormal Psychology	3	PSYCH 301 PSYCH 302
	Cultural Anthropology	3	ANTH 237 ANTH 238 ANTH 250
Biology	Human Anatomy w/Lab	4	BIOS 301
Biology	Human Physiology w/Lab	4	BIOS 302
Chemistry	General Chemistry w/Lab	4	CHEM 111
Physics – is not required but highly recommended	General Physics General Physics Lab	3 1	PHYS 111 PHYS L 112
Math	Statistics	3	STATS 253
English/Communications	Composition	3	ENGL 101
English/Communications	Speech Communications	3	SPCH 101
Liberal Arts – you need five 3 credit courses to total 15 credits	Ethics Philosophy Education Literature Humanities Economics Foreign Language History		Any five 3 credit courses for a total of 15 credits
Pre-professional Program – Fall Semester	BIOS 474g/474g Lab Human Anatomy	5
	BIOS 486g/486g Lab Human Systemic Physiology	5
	PTOT g412 Professional Communications	3
	PTOT g413 Occupational Therapy Profession	3
Pre-professional Program – Spring Semester	PTOT g401 Clinical Kinesiology and Biomechanics	4
	PTOT g402 Clinical Neuroscience	5
	PTOT g422 Occupational Performance	3
	PTOT g442 Occupational Performance Lab	1
	PTOT g421 Self-exploration in Occupation	3

The applicant must be competent in working with computers; (word processing, databases and spreadsheet management) prior to entry into the program.

Idaho State University

Physical Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Application Process